The NBA Teams With Luxurious Private Jets

The National Basketball Association is the world’s leading basketball league, and its top athletes are among the highest-paid and most famous professional sports players in the world. There are 30 teams that play 82 regular-season games from October to April, with playoffs lasting until June. This demanding schedule requires constant travel throughout North America, and although NFL teams traditionally face the most logistical travel challenges, NBA teams still have a wide variety of requirements.

NBA players, more than anything, are exceptionally tall and require ample legroom and wide seats. NBA teams, of course, need to keep their players comfortable while traveling since fatigue can negatively impact game performance. In most sports leagues, teams typically charter aircraft from commercial airlines, but the NBA has an agreement with Delta Air Lines to be the exclusive travel partner for most teams. However, there are a select few teams that have their own jets for transport.

The Plane Flown By The Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks’ use of private jets is among the most prominent in the league. Currently, the Mavericks travel on a Boeing 757 registered as N801DM. As per Planespotters.net, this aircraft is a nearly 33-year-old 757-256 originally ordered by Iberia and operated by the Mavericks since 2001. Although it’s consistently flown for the Mavericks since 2001, it’s changed owners multiple times. As of March 2025, N801DM is owned and operated by Parallel Express.

N801DM is powered by two Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4 turbofan engines and has been retrofitted with blended winglets. In late 2025, N801DM was refurbished by Citadel Completions with updated interior finishes and technology. Inside, the aircraft does not feature overhead bins, but it does include full-height closets and club-style seating with permanent tables. In addition, there are multiple 4K displays throughout the cabin, touchscreens for every player, plush leather seats, mood lighting, and high-speed WiFi.

The 757 was purchased for $36 million by former Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban and is often referred to as Mavs One. Cuban himself also owns numerous other aircraft, although N801DM is the primary aircraft used to transport the Mavericks. It’s the standard airliner for transporting the Mavericks, along with the team’s coaches and support staff. Although the 757 is relatively small, at least compared to a widebody, N801DM is a fairly luxurious ride that takes care of its passengers.

The Transport For The Houston Rockets

Since 2019, the Houston Rockets have used a Boeing 767 for official team transport. The plane, a 767-322ER registered as N625HR, was originally ordered by United Airlines and delivered in 1992. As per Planespotters.net, the Pratt & Whitney-powered aircraft flew for United, OceanAir, AeroGal, and Asia Atlantic Airlines before being acquired by Rockets’ owner Tilman Fertitta. Since its acquisition, N625HR has been operated for the Rockets by iAero Airways.

The Boeing 767 is a significantly larger aircraft than the Boeing 757 operated by the Dallas Mavericks. Inside, the aircraft can seat a total of 92 passengers and has a maximum endurance of 13 hours. The interior seating arrangement is diverse, with the interior being dotted by large leather recliners configured six-abreast. Some seats are arranged to face one another with a wooden table in the middle, while the aircraft also features sofas near the sidewalls and lie-flat seats in some areas.

N625HR features a full onboard bar, along with mood lighting and in-flight WiFi. The cabin features the Heath Tecna Nu-Look interior, an aftermarket refurbishment product with modernized sidewalls and larger overhead bins compared to the original 767 interior. However, it is distinct from the Boeing Signature Interior found on many commercial 767s. In addition, the Rockets’ 767 includes a small bedroom and numerous entertainment screens. When not transporting the Rockets, this plane is used by the Houston Astros.

How The Rest Of The League Flies

Chartering commercial airliners is standard for sports teams, including MLB, the NFL and NHL. In other leagues, however, teams typically negotiate individual contracts with airlines, including commercial airlines like the big three legacy carriers, or charter companies like Atlas Air. The NBA has an agreement with Delta Air Lines for team transport. As only two teams regularly use private planes, this means that 28 teams rely almost exclusively on Delta Air Lines for all their trips.

Delta Air Lines uses 11 Boeing 757-200s designated exclusively for NBA use. These planes, labeled as the 75C subfleet, are among the carrier’s oldest aircraft, according to Planespotters.net, which shows they range from 35 to nearly 37 years old. However, although they’re operated by Delta and wear the carrier’s livery, the planes are leased from Aviation Capital Group to a trust controlled by the NBA. Like the rest of Delta’s 757 fleet, these planes are powered by the Pratt & Whitney PW2000, but unlike most of the carrier’s 757s, these planes do not feature blended winglets, as they’re used relatively infrequently.

On the inside, these planes feature just 72 seats, compared to the standard Delta 757-200 layout that can seat nearly 200 passengers. These seats are arranged four-abreast and are similar to those used for domestic first class. In addition, some seats face each other and are separated by a table for socializing. As a whole, however, the NBA charter planes are aging on the inside, in addition to their advanced age as a whole. However, Delta and the NBA are planning an upgrade.

The New NBA Charter Airliners

The 11 75C aircraft feature outdated interiors and are also becoming increasingly expensive to maintain. In addition, Delta Air Lines is gradually retiring its 757-200 fleet, meaning that replacements are needed. In 2024, it was announced that the NBA would replace the 11 75C aircraft with 13 Airbus A321neos. These planes are to be leased from Irish lessor SMBC Aviation Capital directly to the NBA and will be operated by Delta Air Lines. It’s unclear if these planes will feature the standard Delta livery, although the ownership structure is expected to be similar to the current 75C subfleet.

Few details have been revealed about the planes, but it’s likely they will be powered by the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engine, as this is the engine model Delta uses for its own A321neos. Comlux was awarded the contract to install the plane’s VIP interior at its Indianapolis facility. Again, little is known about how the interior will be designed, although it’s likely to be more customized and modern than the cabin on the 75C.

The current contract for the 75C subfleet will expire in September 2026, with the Airbus A321neo subfleet likely to enter service in time for the 2026-2027 NBA season. The new planes will provide transport for 28 teams in the NBA, and the league is also potentially looking to add two more teams, which would result in a 14th aircraft joining the fleet. Given the young age of these aircraft, the A321neos will serve the NBA for several years or decades.

How Other Sports Teams Get Around

It’s relatively uncommon for sports teams to directly own their own planes for regular transport. In football, the New England Patriots are known for their two dedicated Boeing 767-200ERs, operated by Omni Air International, while the Arizona Cardinals acquired a fleet of five former Delta Boeing 777-200ERs in 2021 for team transport. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions is the only MLB team to fly its own plane, using a Boeing 737-800 shared with the Detroit Red Wings NHL team for travel in between games.

The NBA-controlled fleet of Delta Boeing 757-200s is also shared with the WNBA and the NHL, an arrangement that is likely to continue with the future A321neo fleet. The NBA controls the use of these aircraft and has priority over the other sports leagues. Meanwhile, in the NFL and MLB, for instance, teams enter into individual contracts with operators. These can be charter companies, such as iAero Airways or Atlas Air, but the services of the legacy carriers are also commonly sought.

The NFL is unique in that its players are larger than most mountains and each team’s entourage is enormous compared to that of other sports. Therefore, most NFL teams charter widebody aircraft, including planes as large as the Boeing 747-400 and the Boeing 777-300ER. Teams in other leagues, however, often charter narrowbody aircraft, such as the Boeing 737.

The challenges with a team operating its own plane are the cost and complexity of operations, combined with the relatively infrequent operations of sports team transport. This is why such operations are typically outsourced to an experienced operator, such as a commercial airline. The NBA is unique in that its teams compete frequently, and a typical season is fairly long, which makes it more economical to own a dedicated fleet of aircraft. Even in this case, however, they’re still being operated by a large, experienced airline.